Short Reviews [Messa - 2023 - "Live at Roadburn"]

Recorded at the Roadburn Festival on 21st April 2022, here we have the band recreating four of the songs from their acclaimed ‘Close’ album. To be able to do them justice, Sara (vocals), Marco (bass), Alberto (guitar) and Rocco (drums) were joined by Giorgio (oud, duduk, sax), Alex (mandolin, acoustic guitar) and Samuele (synths). The Italians have created a very special place within the doom genre since their debut, ‘Belfry’, in 2016 as they are far more than “just” another band playing riffs that sound as if they have been made from concrete and played at the speed of lead solidifying. I am a huge fan of their debut, and here we find them extending everything which is great about that release and taking it to the next level. This is experimental music, combining occult doom, ambient, folk and so much more. It is the music of horror movies, with Sara’s vocals rising above the low bass sounds to create something which is compelling and hypnotic. At times the music is a drone, with Sara being the chanter, but this is far more compelling than bagpipes. There is the impression that every note, every instrument, is being used to create a backdrop for her to place her vocals against, so much so that the listener is held bewitched. The sound and production are superb, and it is difficult to realise this is a live concert as apart from the reaction at the end of each song there is nothing which gives that away. Sara can be sweet and innocent, or sharp and cutting, always at odds with the accompaniment, but somehow the different parts belong together and combined to create something larger than the sum of the parts. For those who want their doom to be multi-dimensional with much to explore then this is very special indeed.